Sayyad Mohammed Hanif, alleged mastermind of the August 25 bomb blasts in Mumbai, was trained in making bombs by the Lashkar-e-Taeba in mid-2002, co-conspirator Zaheed Patni told city police officials.

Under interrogation, Patni is understood to have revealed that Hanif used to shunt daily between Dubai, where the L-e-T has its headquarters, and the training venue; he was not however sure whether the training was imparted in Sharjah, or in the nearby town of Ajnan.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satya Pal Singh said Patni's interrogation is ongoing; police officials hope to now confront Hanif with these details in order to get him to open up.

Patni has said that while he has visited the L-e-T headquarters in Dubai twice, and is familiar with some of the people there, he has not undergone any training.

Police had earlier arrested Sayyad Hanif, his wife Fahmida and associate Ashrat Shafi Ahmed Ansari for complicity in the August 25 twin blasts at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai.

Zaheed Patni was the fifth person to be booked for the crime; a sixth, Nasir, was killed in a police encounter.

Mumbai Blasts: The Complete Coverage